BOURGES, France (AFP) — Recently crowned cycling world champion Mark Cavendish will not take part in Thursday’s Paris-Bourges race, organizers announced on Wednesday.

The Isle of Man rider was expected to wear the world champion’s rainbow jersey for the first time in the race, after confirming last month that he would take part. No reason has been given for his withdrawal. He had been scheduled to appear at an autograph-signing session on Wednesday in the town of Gien, which will mark the race’s start point.

Cavendish, 20 times a stage winner at the Tour de France, will however take part in Sunday’s Paris-Tours classic.

Andrew Hood

Andrew Hood cut his journalistic teeth at Colorado dailies before the web boom opened the door to European cycling in the mid-1990s. Hood has covered every Tour de France since 1996 and has been VeloNews' European correspondent since 2002.